Ukulele perfect for beginners

The ukulele has seen a surge in popularity in recent times, with more individuals looking to take up the four-stringed mini guitar.

Once considered to be a novelty instrument, the ukulele is now attracting more users than ever, many of them musical novices. The instrument is a perfect starter for individuals looking to take their first foray into learning music and could even overtake the recorder as the entry point for schoolchildren.

Indeed, this seems to be the case for a group of schoolchildren from Whytemead First School in Worthing, who learnt how to play the instrument ahead of the ’60 Ukuleles for 60 Children’ concert, which saw pupils perform a new piece of music in collaboration with songwriter Sean O’Hagan.

The performance was part of the three-day Wukulele Festival – the south coast’s international ukulele festival – which ran earlier this month, welcoming performers from across the world to the region’s St Paul’s Centre and Assembly Hall.

Headteacher Candida Reece told the news provider that she was delighted that the children were given the opportunity to learn the musical instrument. She said: “I … know the children have gained so much more than learning a musical instrument during the project. I believe that participation in events like these promotes values like co-operation and responsibility, which are at the heart of our curriculum.”

It would appear that the humble ukulele is a perfect starter instrument for budding musicians of all ages and Peter Hudson, a ukulele teacher for the Kitchen School of Music, says it continues to grow in popularity within schools.

“The ukulele is brilliant for kids to learn,” he told the BBC. “It really comes to life when played in groups and they get a lot out of writing their own songs. It would be great if everyone could learn the ukulele. It is a good way into any form of music.”